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Guatemala mission a great success

by Steve Smith

At 3:30 a.m. on January 30, with the temperature hovering at minus 24 degrees Celsius, the 15 members of the mission team gathered at St. John’s Anglican Church, Lakefield, to load 15 suitcases of health/medical and educational supplies for the children of Parramos, Guatemala and then board the bus to Pearson International Airport.

Our departure represented the culmination of almost 12 months of planning and fundraising events involving St. John’s Anglican Church, Lakefield Baptist Church and St. Paul’s Catholic Church.

Our original goal was to raise about $12,000 to support the work of the Arms of Jesus Children’s Mission. However, we underestimated the incredible generosity and support that is the fabric of the Lakefield community.

Through donations from local businesses as well as the enthusiastic support of the local churches, Lakefield College School and the entire community, we almost doubled our funding objective.

Now it was left to us to add some sweat and blood (literally) and transform our planning efforts into tangible benefits to the Guatemalan people.

The health/medical and educational supplies cleared customs without a hitch and were safely transported to the Mission school. Since we were the first team to arrive since the fall of 2009, the school’s supplies were seriously depleted – an issue that was substantially addressed once we unpacked and sorted the contents of our suitcases!

Over a seven day period, we were able to build and paint six houses for Guatemalan families who live in desperate conditions.

This involved some heavy work where team members stretched themselves to complete tasks they had never previously tried, often overcoming illness and sunburned skin resulting from the 28 degree Celsius weather.

After completing the home, there always seemed to be enough energy to engage the local children in games, hair-braiding and blowing bubbles.

As the new AOJ director commented, “when I drop you off in the morning, it is quiet …when I pick you up, all I hear is the sound of children laughing … you have brought such joy to us!”

We also brought the “2010 Winter Olympics” to the Arms of Jesus School, involving almost 400 children in a day of games designed to simulate speed-skating, curling, bobsledding and biathlon.

The excitement in the children as they came to the podium to receive their bronze, silver or gold medals on behalf of their respective “countries” was priceless. They had even designed and built their own Olympic torch!

Thank-you Lakefield for making our mission trip such a great success! Each team member has felt honoured to represent you in reaching out to the children and families in Guatemala. In doing so, the truth of the words of St. Francis of Assisi have become more evident to each of us … “it is in giving that we truly receive.”

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